1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a quick connector adapted for easy insertion of a wire through which electrical connection is established between conduction paths formed in the same circuit board or different circuit boards or between a conduction path and a circuit component mounted on a circuit board which is the same as or different from a circuit board formed with the conduction path, and more particularly, to a quick connector arranged for easy insertion of a wire thereinto and adapted to securely maintain electric connection between the inserted wire and the connector, and a quick connector assembly suited to automatic insertion of a quick connector of this type into a circuit board by means of an automatic loader.
2. Related Arts
In constructing an electric circuit of electric equipment, a circuit board such as a printed circuit board is used intensively. In the case of using a printed circuit board to constitute an electric circuit, various electric circuit component parts are mounted on a printed circuit board formed with a conduction pattern. In an electric equipment comprised of printed circuit boards, a circuit component part mounted in a printed circuit board is sometimes required to be electrically connected to a specific portion of a conduction pattern formed in another printed circuit board. In such a case, the circuit component is generally connected with the specific portion of the conductor pattern through an electric wire extending from the circuit component, by inserting a terminal end of the wire into a connector mounted in advance on the specific portion of the conduction pattern.
As a connector of this type, a quick connector has been known which has one or more connector components which are resin-molded into one piece. Each connector component is designed to hold a wire once inserted thereinto, and includes a release mechanism for permitting the thus held wire to be detached therefrom by use of a screwdriver or the like.
The aforementioned quick connector is advantageous in that electric connection can be easily established between a conduction pattern and an electrical circuit component by simply inserting an electric wire into the connector component concerned. Thus, the efficiency in assembling mass-produced electric equipment can be improved by using quick connectors of this kind.
However, it is difficult to use an automatic loader in mounting the quick connectors on a printed circuit board, so that the connectors are usually mounted thereon manually. Such manual work hinders a further improvement in the efficiency of assemblage of electric equipment which includes quick connectors of this kind. Moreover, the quick connector which requires resin molding and which includes connector components each having a release mechanism is complicated in construction and high in costs.